Jussi TwoSeven

Recently I found myself in Brighton hunting for a number of street art pieces that had been placed around the city.

The reason I was here was the Finnish street artist Jussi TwoSeven whose work I had been following since my time living in Helsinki, where I had first been introduced to his work. The most recent was a large roaring bear in one of Helsinki’s metro stations in co-operation with a city museum. He had now been in Brighton painting a number of pieces in co-operation with Brighton Fringe Festival, this time wolves.

Jussi TwoSeven in Brighton

All together there were five wolves dotted around the city and they weren’t too hard to find.

Bond St

In the heart of Brightons popular Lanes is Bond St, a thoroughfare for exploring tourists and local shoppers. Bond St has it all, from small boutiques, cafes, vintage clothing and much more. A day could fly by weaving in and out of the narrow walking lanes with each turn revealing something new.

What I enjoy about Jussi TwoSeven’s work is his interpretation of nature, and especially wildlife native to Finland, using only black and white paint. Also the scale to which he often works is very impressive.

Middle St

Just around the corner from The Victory Inn, down a small side road, was the largest piece in the city. A blank white wall on the outside of a hairdressers made the perfect canvas for Jussi TwoSeven’s monochrome work. The Location and size made this one on Middle St my favourite of the day.

From here I walked. down to the seafront, passing the pier before heading back into the city just before the Aquarium. I knew roughly where I was heading as I had been wandering through this part of town the last time I was in Brighton only a few months earlier.

Edward St

Two smaller pieces were painted on the walls of the Brighton Youth Centre on Edward St. One along the main road, the other slightly hidden by a small car parking bay by the entrance. Can you spot the black and white wolf?

What finally brought all these individual pieces together was when I saw a video on Jussi TowSeven’s own channel of each wolf in sequence giving the appearance of movement. Though separated across the city the pieces worked together collectively.

I am interested to know if there are any other great works of street art that grace the walls of Brighton? What are your favourites and are there any you can recommend?

Sculpture of Helsinki #21

ROAR27 is the latest work by Jussi TwoSeven and can be found on the platform of Kamppi Metro Station. The exhibit space is operated by HAM Helsinki and features different artist depending on the current theme of the museum. Having art in public spaces is an excellent way to expand people’s horizons, allowing them to see something that they wouldn’t necessarily see.

You can find almost 500 outdoor sculptures, pieces of environmental art and historical monuments in Helsinki and they are accessible to everyone. See more and search through the database at HAMhelsinki.fi.

Like this:

I first came across the artist Jussi TwoSeven earlier in the year but at the time I didn’t know it yet. I was directed to an area in northern Helsinki to see a piece of street art, a large owl hidden under an underpass of no particular relevance.

BUBU BUBO

I recently created a Facebook page for my photography and as the profile image I set the owl graffiti I had come to admire, it was then that a friend told me who the artist was and I found out Jussi TwoSeven had other pieces in the neighboring city of Espoo.

The first stop was near the Leppävaara train station, a long underpass that ran under the train tracks east of the station. On one side there are five large eagle heads all facing in different directions, each different from the last, the piece is titled KRAA. On the other side Jussi TwoSeven’s name spelled out phonetically.

My next stop was in Espoo, I was looking for ROAR!, and it was slightly harder to find and a little out of the way. This time it was on a short underpass that went under a busy road, five bear heads in a similar layout to KRAA. ROAR! featured a colourful girl sitting atop one of the heads, at this point I am unsure of her relevance but i would guess it was the artists daughter.

Jussi TwoSeven at Gallery Heino

As luck may have it Jussi TwoSeven was having an exhibit in Helsinki at Gallery Heino that very week and continuing until the end of the month. I decided to stop by and admire his work all in one place plus a few new pieces that I hadn’t seen before.

Using a stencil technique Jussi TwoSeven is able to recreate his public work in the gallery on canvas with striking similarity. His inspiration comes from the wild nature of Finnish fauna which is evident in his work.